Steve Ritchie Says, “I’m Sorry”

Steve Ritchie, the reigning Chief Executive Officer of Papa John’s International Inc., apologizes to Papa John’s customer, saying “I’m sorry.” Steve Ritchie’s apology to Papa John’s customer was made in a letter he sent out to them via email. The purpose of the apology letter was to undo the negative impact inflicted upon the company as a result of the conduct of an individual associated with the company. The individual’s conduct in question were widely viewed as being racially insensitive and reflected badly upon the company, thereby promptly Steve Ritchie’s wise and necessary official letter of apology. Steve Ritchie’s apology is considered a brilliant move on his part in that he straight out said, “I’m sorry,” distanced himself and the company from the individual in question, and promised to take appropriate actions to make the company even better than before the occurrence of this controversy.

In the letter of apology, Steve Ritchie Papa John’s stated that the pizza delivery company transcends a single individual, that the company is ever committed to promoting diversity, inclusiveness, and equity, that neither racism nor insensitive language of any sort will be tolerated by either him or the company, that Papa John’s is a company comprised of greater than 120,000 corporate and franchise team members worldwide, and that measures will be undertaken by the company to address concerns in terms of the company’s diversity, culture, and inclusive practices. Specifically, independent and outside auditors will be hired to run audits with respect to these issues. Further, the company will also engage its stakeholders to come up with a course of action that demonstrates the company’s commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and equity. Moreover, the company will send out members of its senior management team to franchises across the country to gather the thoughts and concerns of their franchises and employees on the matter.